Life Beyond the Disability

Growing up I never looked at my sister differently. She was always just Jessica, my older sister. My mom always dressed us alike and I always thought we were the same. I would even try and convince people we were twins. Well, why exactly is she different? Jessica Nowell, my 24 year old sister, has Down Syndrome! It makes me proud to say that. Jessica makes me the proudest sister in the whole world and I can promise you that. When I was little, I went to the same camp as her. This camp has a bunch of children with disabilities. I remember never ever thinking these kids were different than me. They wanted to play on the playground, do different crafts, and enjoy life just like me. The only difference is, I wasn't diagnosed with a disability. That's literally the only difference.

Down Syndrome is a disability where you have an extra 21st chromosome. Most kids get one from their mom and one from their dad. In the case of Down Syndrome, an extra one sneaks in there making that baby just a little bit more special. Kids with Down Syndrome are typically a little shorter, their limbs are smaller, and they function just a little bit slower. Frankly, those with Down Syndrome tend to be looked down upon and when the parents first find out their child will have this disability, the doctors immediately ask if they want an abortion. Typing that actually makes me sick. Yes, Down Syndrome is a disability which means things will be more challenging and life may be a little different, but when aborting your child, YOUR child, you won't even get to experience life with them. You won't see the challenges they are able to defeat or the accomplishments they do have.
The people in my life have always treated Jessica with the upmost respect. My favorite thing is little kids. Why? Because they don't judge anybody just because they're different. Younger kids up to the pre-teen stage love Jess. They look at her just like they look at anybody else. She doesn't have a disability, she's just Jessica and she gets to be treated like anybody else does.

In all honesty, how boring would life be if everyone was the same? My sister never asked to be different, she was just born this way and she changed my family forever. Don't belittle her because she was born differently than you. No, I don't have any sort of disability, but that doesn't mean I'm anymore human than she is. Jess is a person just like everyone else and she deserves to be treated like one. She laughs, smiles, gets angry, screams, cries, and works at a job just like everyone else. We fight just like normal sisters. I don't treat her differently because of who she is, she's my sister and that's where it stops. I fight with her, I yell at her, she yells at me, she fights with me, but one this is for sure, our bond will never be broken. Jess has taught me more about life in the 22 years that I've known her and I'm looking forward to the years ahead. Life without her would be boring and I would never change one thing.

Next time you see someone with Down Syndrome, don't stare at them. Smile at them. You'll make their day I promise. When I see someone with Down Syndrome, I automatically feel a connection to them and I just want to talk to them. Of course, that's creepy and I can't do that, BUT I can shoot them a friendly smile to say hi, I see who you are and I think you still deserve the biggest, friendliest smile. Most young adults with Down Syndrome know they have this disability and they are pretty much forced to accept it. Nobody can change who you are and how you're born, but you can be in charge of how you handle it. People will put you down no matter what in life, ya just gotta keep being who you are and never stop smiling. Just because someone is diagnosed at birth with a disability does not mean they are less human and they do not deserve less respect than you give someone without a disability.

Look beyond the disability.


~A